We find in our household, sleep has become a big issue. Having our first baby was a game changer for us. We had no idea of valuable sleep was until we went without it almost entirely for the first year as baby screamed all night (and all day too). When I couldn't find something, it usually meant Laura had put it in the fridge. So how many hours of sleep are "enough" for you? Personally, I like 8 hours of sleep.

Prior to having kids, if I needed a nap during the day, I probably just dozed off. Now this is not possible because I have to watch the kids and be somewhat aware. We consider ourselves lucky if 1) the kids sleep through the night without any major issues 2) the littlest one takes her daily nap. Quite honestly, most days those two things just don't happen. The kids wake up at night, first one, then the other waking us all up. The next day, we are all miserable because we are exhausted.

But then the kids can take a nap. We still have work to do so napping during the day is a waste of time. Besides, isn't it hard to sleep during the day?

So what do we do when we lack sleep? Drink coffee. It brings me up and drops me like a ton of bricks. I don't like that feeling. Sometimes I drink an energy drink called Cherry Bing. Try it! You'll like it. But if I drink coffee or Bing too late I don't sleep well either. So caffeine seem to make my sleep issues worse. Have you ever had this experience. You go to bed at a regular time and nothing in particular in bothering you.....and you still sleep awful? I mean, the kids sleep fine and you're there, mind racing a million miles a minute and all you can think about is how tired you're going to be the next day. How do you get back to sleep?

Occasionally, my wife take ZZZ Sleep and says it works. But she doesn't want to take it too often. She's the worst sleeper ever, wakes up 4-6 times a night always. I'm not as bad but wake up once or twice. I wish I could sleep straight through the night but almost never do. How about you? Are you able to sleep through the night or do you wake up?

We've tried several different strategies like not drinking any liquids past 6 p.m. and just reading quietly (no media, especially social media before bed) to create a better sleep environment. Do you have any suggestions for us? And how much sleep do you need? What's the most surprising is just how many people struggle with sleep issues. We heard of that dream sleep water stuff but have never tried it. Does it work? Any other ideas? This is linked up with running with spoons.

I recommend getting exercise (medium to heavy) everyday. My wife and I have two kids and we sleep straight through the night without any problems falling asleep. Luckily, our kids are pretty good about sleeping through the night.

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Tom

7/26/2014 01:42:55 am

Hey Bob thanks for chiming in. Working out is a great recommendation!

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Irene Duncan

7/24/2014 09:39:51 am

OTC melatonin or prescription Desyrel(trazodone) - a not very effective antidepressant but helpful sleep aid. Benedryl can make you sleepy but like alcohol, produces poor quality sleep. Soothing hymns - being able to fall back asleep in the
AM - this could be alternated while the other loving parent/spouse holds forth.

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Tom

7/26/2014 01:44:34 am

Aunt Irene this is a nice list. When I go to the grocery store I always see the bottles of zzz sleep, do you know anything about this product?